If I can get Obama to apologize for kicking your dog or stealing your bike or whatever it was he did to offend you on such a visceral level, do you think you can find it in your heart to forgive him?

I'm sure if you looked me up in the book, you'd see the name Klytus right there under crook.

As for lateagain's rather empty defense that Obama had nothing to gain - how about the Democratic nomination in a year in which the Democrats were set up for victory in the general election. Massive appeal to African American voters by such tactics, as well as other civil rights defenders who also bought in to the negative spin, was the key to Obama's victory in the primaries.

I disagree with your implication that racial politics gave him the nomination. Quite the opposite in fact: racial politics nearly upended him. It got very close there, if you remember; his stats (however measured) declined in direct proportion to the degree to which racial issues (the BC comments, the Rev. Wright fiasco, Geraldine Ferraro's antics) became acculturated.

Secondly, I can't believe you think that sewing up the African American population's support is sufficient to give anyone the primaries. Wuh? Like AA support in this country--even nearly 100% of it--is enough to win anything. That's the precise charge against the Clintons--that they traded 100% of the AA vote for the more voluminous WCW vote. Politically speaking, it was a good trade and has been effective in undercutting Obama's support from that group, not only in the primary season but in the general as well.

[As an aside, lateagain, I believe (in another post) you were defending Obama's arrogance by asking jebldmm, "How does it matter?" I would ask, "How can you doubt that it matters after 8 years of the arrogant Mr. Bush?" Arrogance tends to numb the mind and prevent outside sources of information from creating path correction.]

For the record, I did not "defend" BO's arrogance. I wondered very specifically why it mattered to jeb. I acknowledged that all candidates have their flaws and wondered why this particular one played such prominence in jeb's consideration. I do agree with your interpretation about the dangerous consequences of arrogance. There are different kinds, I suppose, and many leaders have put themselves into the kind of bubble that W did. I remember reading somewhere specifically that Bill Clinton made sure he did not do that. (I remember hearing the same thing about Bill Gates--that he deliberately did not hire "yes men.") (Lincoln, too, come to think of it, as illuminated by Doris Kearns Goodwin in her book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln). Anyway, I think to some extent keeping oneself from becoming isolated in an echo chamber is a function of intelligence. I'm hoping Barack Obama demonstrates some humility in this area. I have seen nothing to disabuse me of that possibility thus far.

It's simple, really. It is not for you to determine what Black people, or any other people of color, should/should not find offensive comments or words. It is not for you to dismiss such feelings of offense as being a "dittohead". Rather than bemoan the fact that people found stuff the Clintons said to be racist, perhaps it would be more constructive for you to ask WHY one might feel that way, or WHAT in the comment was offensive. You may still disagree whether or not it was offensive, but at least you'll have a better understanding of where other people are coming from, and (hopefully) wont be so quick to dismiss the perspective of others.

Don't be yet another White person who tells me what I should think about a topic; we have way too many of those already.

Will you be serving those as well?

and also "turgid". What a feat! There's a Georgia in the USA and the country of Georgia, where Stalin was born, thousands of miles distant. Sorry you're so prickly. Try pineapple juice which contains quercetin, a recognised anti-inflammatory. All that swarming can be deleterious even to the ones that are doing it.

Those Irish/Catholic friends of yours must have been ace. Surely you realised that all Catholics are Irish and all Irish are Catholics. It's easy-peasy, dear Mr. Faulkner. I suppose you know that John McCain is as much a Celt as John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Maybe more as Fitzgerald is a Norman name and the Normans came to the British Isles after the Conquest. I hope this isn't just me trying to show my superiority when I'm only from a small, insignificant place. "Never mind the quality, feel the width" seems to apply to so many big countries although the Chinese educational system is said to be superb - no, I didn't say "superior". Auntie Cairo could learn that there's no huge difference between camel-racing and horse-racing. Both involve humans riding quadrupeds.

I'm sticking to drinking hot tea

You won't hear another comment

To odonnell from me.

I gotta fly, I'll check ya'll later in the by and by.

I spent all of the 90s defending the Clintons, but I have Clinton fatigue. HIllary & bill Clinton were not treated badly, they acted badly in the primaries.

This is Obama's spotlight. We need to focus on Obama,

not the Clinton drama.

Why not have Al Gore give a speech on the environment? NYT today reported Al Gore gave Clinton a spot to speak at the convention in 2000 hoping Clinton would pass the torch. But instead Clinton started to steal the limelight prior to his speech with lengthly press conferences. Sound familiar? The Clintons are egomaniacs. They are both drama queens, who cannot get over there time has passed. They need to pass the torch.

One news outlet reported Bill Clinton was filling a slot they had for Edwards, because of Edwards affair. HMMMM Isn't that rather Ironic. One cheater for another rather more prolific cheater.

I want to make clear that I love the Emerald Isle, even with you inhabiting it. It is one of my great regrets in life that I've not had the pleasure of visiting Ireland. I hope to someday. The Irish are a good and generous people, in my experience. They have provided us with my favorite poet (Yeats) and several of my favorite novelists. And, most importantly to me, Guinness. :)

As for all Irish being Catholics and all Catholics Irish, I suspect that the good Celt McCain, a proud Protestant, would likely disagree with that, as would many of the inhabitants of Northern Ireland. I will not venture too far down this path, as I will very quickly be out of my depth.

I do find your posts entertaining, albeit bewildering and a tad troubled. :) I just think you have a wee bit of a superiority complex regarding Americans, and an extreme aversion to Obama. But you have my sincere respect.